Definitely the most distressing story of the year: blokes around the world read this one with their legs crossed, wincing, and going “Oooooh.” The Wakefield full-back was kneed in the nads the very first time he touched the ball against Wigan in April , but played on regardless and revealed that he only really noticed the injury the next day. "The doctor said he'd never seen such trauma in that area," he explained. Good grief.

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19 Richie Incognito, alleged bully

You know how your mum would always say: “just stand up to the bully?” That probably gets harder when he’s six foot five and weighs 315 pounds… and plays as a guard for the Miami Dolphins. Incognito sent junior team-mate Jonathan Martin messages calling him “half a n*****”, threatened to poo in his mouth and to slap his mother. Something to do with team-building, Incognito explained, although that didn’t save him from an indefinite suspension. At the very least, you have to say it’s an unusual motivational tool.

The German F-1 genius won his fourth title in succession, helping his Red Bull team to deliver a fourth consecutive constructor’s championship. Was nevertheless booed by some fans bored of his dominance, which seems unfair, and he enraged his team-mate Mark Webber by defying team orders not to pass him in Malaysia. But the ice-cool Vettel took that, like everything else, in his stride.

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17 Mike Tyson released his autobiography

Iron Mike’s book was one of the highlights of the publishing year in sports, and was packed with juicy revelations and colourful language. Among the most sensational, in a strong field, was his admission that he had fought while high on drugs. Describing how he gloried in the portrayal of himself as a psycho, a beast, white America’s worst nightmare, it is a cracking, disturbing read brilliantly executed.

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16 Chris Froome won the Tour De France

The Kenyan-born British cyclist followed Sir Bradley Wiggins by winning road cycling’s greatest and most revered prize. His bid got off to a nervy start when he crashed in the neutralised section of the first stage on the isle of Corsica. He won the general classification with a time of 83 hours, 56 minutes and 40 seconds. He was also King of the Mountains for six stages.

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15 Arjen Robben came with a late, late show

It was an all-German affair at Wembley in May: the people’s champion, Borussia Dortmund, took on the evil empire of Bayern Munich as Germany surpassed Spain as Europe’s top club-footballing nation. Key Dortmund forward Mario Götze, who would join Bayern Munich in the summer, was injured, but the Black and Yellows were holding their own at 1-1… until the dislikeable Dutchman popped up with a minute to spare, winning the trophy with a weak left-foot shot.

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14 David Ginola showed us a nice gesture

David Ginola might not have been alone in his assessment of BT broadcaster Jake Humphrey, but at least viewers who share his opinion of the anchorman (with a silent ‘W’, if David is to be believed) are not making their feelings known via gesture on live TV. It was extra harsh that Humphrey himself had to be the one to apologise for it!

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13 David Moyes drank deep from that poisoned chalice

The hardest possible act to follow in football: taking over Manchester United after Sir Alex Ferguson. Moyes has had a few decent results against other big teams and in Europe, but delivering the League title now looks seriously unlikely. The sense is growing that the team he inherited might have had their day – not that this will save his job if he cannot produce some silverware next season, if not this.

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12 Gareth Bale became the most expensive player in the world

Nobody does tedious transfer sagas like the North London clubs, and this time it was Spurs who were involved in a seemingly endless to-and-fro with a Spanish giant. Their Welsh wing wizard eventually joined Real Madrid for (it is understood) £85.3million. Had a disappointing El Clásico debut, but things have picked up for him and he has already scored a hat-trick. Is he worth it? Time will tell.

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11 Mo Farah did the double double

The first man to hold the Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m titles as well as the World 5,000m and 10,000m titles, Mo Farah was described as “Britain's greatest ever athlete” by BBC commentator Brendan Foster. Pretty hard to argue with that assessment. A Knighthood surely awaits this time, which should please many who felt that Mo was short-changed with his CBE this year.

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10 Tom Daley comes out as gay in You Tube video

It can’t be easy coming out as a 19-year-old no matter what your status in life, but as one of the most famous and most popular athletes in the country, Tom Daley had more to worry about than most. He released a typically charming and honest You Tube video saying that he was in a relationship with a man and, happily, received all-but universal support.

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9 Mitchell Johnson rediscovered his MoJo

How England cricket fans used to love to bait Mitch. “He bowls to the left… he bowls to the right… that Mitchell Johnson, his bowling is shi—” Well, you get the idea. But, perhaps revitalised by a horrible moustache, a new Mitchell Johnson has emerged, and he is frankly terrifying. Blew England away in the first two Tests with 95mph bowling and, although England’s batsmen did better against him in the third Test, the damage had been done.

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8 Luis Suarez gets peckish

He’d done the racist incident, robbing Ghana of a World Cup semi-final, refusing to shake hands with his opponent and multiple cheating rows, but with Luis Suarez, there’s always something else around the corner. Back in April, it was a ten-game ban for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic. What will 2014 bring for Liverpool’s evil genius? When not being a rotter, has played some sublime football this year: maybe he has turned the corner?

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7 Justin Rose won the US Open

No England player had won a Major since Nick Faldo in 1996, and no England player had won the US Open since Tony Jacklin in 1970, but a wonderful display from Justin Rose changed all that back in June. Rose triumphed by two shots at of Merion Golf Club in Pennsylvania, defying bad weather and Phil Mickelson, who eagled the final round tenth to take the lead. But Rose was not to be denied and hit back with birdies on the 12th and 13th before holding his nerve for a famous win.

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6 Stuart Broad wouldn’t walk

No incident in cricket divided the public or the media more this year. Stuart Broad edged the ball at Trent Bridge, it clanged off Brad Haddin’s gloves and was caught by slip, making the edge seem bigger than it actually was. Broad stayed put and Aleem Dar gave him not out. The Aussies had used up all their reviews, but there was no end to the depth of their indignation. Some world class hypocrisy was displayed, with Darren Lehman calling on the Aussie public to give Broad a roasting in the return series Down Under. They did so with relish.

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5 Warren Gatland masterminded Lions victory

The Lions arguably had a bit of luck in the First Test when Kurtley Beale missed two late penalty opportunities for Australia (See number 75), and when the Aussies won the second game, it felt like the momentum had turned. With tour skipper Sam Warburton and 2009 captain Paul O'Connell both injured, Gatland took the bold decision to omit the experienced centre Brian O'Driscoll, going with a Welsh midfieldpairing of Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies. Roberts scored a try as the Lions won 41-16, the most points by a Lions side in a test match.

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4 Sachin Tendulkar retired

People who say “no player is bigger than the game” clearly don’t know much about Sachin, India and cricket. A two Test match series was arranged at short notice for November, allowing Sachin to play matches 199 and 200 of a magnificent career. The West Indies were the perfect guests, rolling over without fuss in both matches, but sadly Sachin could not make a century in his final innings, falling for 74. Darren Sammy, who took a very sharp slip catch to dismiss him off the bowling of Shane Shillingford, must have worried that he might not get out of the Wankhede Stadium in one piece.

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3 AP McCoy rode his 4,000th winner

The unglamorous surrounds of Towcester were witness to one of the most astonishing feats of endurance in sport this November when AP McCoy, unquestionably the greatest jockey who ever booted home a winner that had no right to score, notched up his 4,000th victory. He’s broken pretty much every bone in his body, he’s been doing it for two decades, and still the will to win remains as fierce as ever. A living legend of sport.

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2 Sir Alex Ferguson retired

They say we will never see his like again and, with Alan Pardew at Newcastle being, ridiculously, the Premier League’s second-longest serving boss with a mere three years under his belt, it’s surely true. Sir Alex finally called it a day in May after 26 years at Man United, during which time he won 38 trophies, including two Champions League titles, terrified countless journalists, and established himself as the greatest British manager of all time. Impossible to imagine any manager ever shaping a club around himself in the same way again.

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1 Andy Murray won Wimbledon

“Fred Perry was the last British man to win Wimbledon, all the way back in 1936”. For most of the ensuing years, it felt like this would be one sporting record that would remain for ever. But brilliantly, heroically, gloriously, Andy Murray ended that hoodoo: and he it did it in style, beating the mighty Novak Djokovic 3-0 to send the nation into raptures in the greatest moment of the sporting year.